Form brace



Oct. 31, 1961 T. J. DAvls, JR 3,006,592

INV E NTOR T. J- DAVIS J1'.

BY .7 Y

- ATTORNEY:

Oct. 31, 1961 Filed Dec. 29. 1959 T. J. DAVIS, JR

FORM BRACE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 U VLYJ l| {IE/24 INVENTOR T. J. DAWS, Jr.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,006,592 FORNI BRACE Thomas J. Davis, Jr., 505 College Ave., Lubbock, Tex. Filed Dec. 29, 1959, Ser. No. 862,698 2 Claims. (Cl. 248-354) Ihis invention relates to portable form braces, and more particularly to a portable brace which can be eciently utilized in the building trades for leveling, plumbing, and/or supporting various types of forms.

Many types of portable braces have heretofore been proposed for use particularly in supporting forms for concrete and the like; however, such braces have not been completely satisfactory because they incorporated special attaching devices having components which were easily lost and/ or because they did not provide for adjustment and/or support of the base of a form as well as the upper portions therof. Moreover, in most instances, the prior art devices designed for the stated purpose would not function to support a roof or the like and were expensive to fabricate and service.

Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a portable form brace which can be easily attached to a form by nails, screws, or the like, and which provides for support and adjustment of all portions of the form.

Still another primary object of the invention is to provide a portable form brace which can be fabricated as a single unit, and which is simple to operate, fast to position, and accurate in adjustment of the form which it supports.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide a form brace in accordance with the preceding objects, (l) which form brace has a minimum number of components; (2) which form brace is self-lubricating, thus providing extended trouble-free operation and service; and (3) which form brace includes means for substantially changing the length of arm members thereof, whereby the brace can be utilized for support of forms of different shapes, and substantially varying sizes.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a form brace which allows one man to position a simple form by adjustment of the different portions of the form, and which can be inexpensively manufactured.

Basically, and in its simplest aspects, the invention provides a portable adjustable forrn brace for accurately positioning various parts of a form so that the overall form is properly disposed with respect to a given surface such as the ground. The brace comprises the combination of a base member or plate adapted to be secured to the surface preferably by means of a metal stake which can be driven into the surface through an aperture in the base plate. Adjustable arms are coupled to the base plate, and preferably the arms are pivoted about their connection therewith. Each of the arms carries means for adjusting the length of the arm by rotating at least a part of the arm about the longitudinal axis of the arm. Preferably such adjustment means is provided by making the arms from tubular bodies having threaded couplings on the ends thereof, and by providing rods having threads cooperating with the threaded couplings, which rods serve as extensions. The invention further provides for positioning on the free end of each arm means for easily attaching the arm with the form. Such attaching means preferably take the form of apertured plates through which nails, screws or the like can be passed. Moreover, according to the preferred embodiments of the invention, handle bars extend from each of the arms so as to facilitate adjustment of the length of the arm, the tubular members of the arm are at least partially hollow and carry a lubricant therein, and couplings are provided for insertion of additional arm mem- ICS bers to substantially change the overall length of the arms.

The invention will be better understood, and objects other than those specically set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description of the invention. The description refers to the annexed drawings, wherein:

FIGURE l is a perspective view showing a form brace constructed in accordance with this invention and fastened to a shallow Wall form for support and positioning thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a top View of the form brace shown in FIGURE l; and

FIGURE 3 is a side view of a modified form brace constructed according to the invention and being provided with couplings for insertion of additional arm members.

FIGURE 4 presents a brace of the type shown in FIGURE 3 as applied to a roof, and also presents a modified brace construction provided by the invention and particularly adapted for support of a roof.

FIGURE 5 shows a modified form of brace provided by the invention and particularly adapted for use with tall forms; and

FIGURE 6 shows a modified form of base plate and upright construction which renders the form brace provided by the invention more variable.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 2 generally designates the form brace provided by the invention. The brace 2 is shown in FIGURE l attached to a form 4 having a base cross-member 6 and a top cross-member 8. The wall 10 of the form 4 to which the cross-members are attached is positioned in parallel relation to the wall 12 thereof, and concrete 14 has been poured between walls 10 and 12. It should be understood that various types of forms can be supported by, and positioned with, the form brace shown in FIGURE l, and that the form 4 is described herein solely for the purpose of facilitating comprehension of one embodiment of the invention.

The form brace 2 comprises a base member or plate 16 and two longitudinally extensible arms 18 and 20. The base plate 16 is provided with an aperture 22 (FIG- URE 2) and through this aperture extends a stake 24 (FIGURE l) which has been driven into the ground or other surface 26 on which the base plate 16 is disposed. Stake 24 carries a circumferentially extending ange 25 which serves as a stop for the stake, and which presses the base plate into fixed position on surface 26.

Base plate 16 is also provided with two uprights 28 and 30 which are spaced apart and secured to base plate 16 by a weld or other suitable means so as to extend substantially perpendicularly from the upper face of plate 16.

Arm 20 has au extension 32 secured to the base plate according to the embodiment under consideration, also by Weld or other suitable means, between uprights 28 and 30. Arm 18 has an extension 34 pivotally connected between uprights 28 and 3G by means of a bolt 36' extending through suitable apertures in the uprights 28 and 30 and through a suitable aperture in the end of extension 34.

The lower arm 20 comprises an elongated tubular body 36 having threaded couplings 38 and 40 at either end thereof. Extension 32 which is a rod as shown, carries threads 44 yon one end, and these threads 44 cooperate with those on coupling 38 so that extension 32 can be screwed into, or out from, tubular member 36. Similarly, lextension 46, also a rod, carries threads 35 at one end thereof, and these threads cooperate with the threads on coupling 40 so that extension 46 can be screwed into, or out from, tubular member 36. A plate 48 is welded,

or otherwise suitably attached, to the free end 46 of extension 46, and this plate is provided with apertur therein so that nails 50, screws, or the like, can readily be used to secureplate 46 to the form 4, or more particularly to base cross-member 6 thereof.

The upper arm 18 is constructed similarly to the lower arm 20. An elongated tubular member 52 carries threaded couplings 54 and 56 at either end thereof. Extension 34 which is pivotally secured at one end between uprights 28 and 30 as explained hereinabove, carries threads 56 at the opposite end, and these threads cooperate with those of coupling 54 so that extension 34 can Vbe screwed into, or out from, tubular member 52. An

extension 58 extends beyond the end of tubular member 52 nearest form 4, and this extension carries threads 60 which cooperate with the threads on coupling 56 so that extension 58 can also be screwed into, or out from, tubular member 52. The free end 58 of extension 58 carries an apertured plate 64, which is pivotally coupled to the extension 58 by a bolt 62 extending through a suitable aperture in extension 58 and a suitable aperture in the connecting flange 64 of plate 64. Nails 66 pass through the apertures in plate 64, and secure the plate, and thereby the upper arm 18 to the top of form 4.

As shown in FIGURE l, handle bars 68 and 70 project laterally or sideways from the tubular members 36 and 52 respectively. When the brace has been positioned, as described above, rotation of these handle bars, and thereby the tubular members, about the longitudinal axes of the arms, results in either an extension or contraction of the arms, depending on the direction of rotation, by Virtue of the threaded couplings between the tubular members and extensions. All of the threaded couplings 38, 40, 54 and 56 are similarly constructed, and thus a description of one serves to explain the others.

As shown in FIGURE 3, coupling 54 comprises a cylindrical body 72 having a threaded bore 74 therein. Coupling 54 is welded to, or otherwise suitably attached to, the end of tubular member 52 which is preferably at least partially hollow so as to receive the end of extension 34. The threads on each coupling and associated extension are cut in a direction which causes lengthening of the arm to which they are coupled upon rotation of that arm in one direction, and shortening of the arm to which they are coupled upon rotation of that arm in the opposite direction. That is to say, the extensions simultaneously move out of the tubular members and simultaneously move into the tubular member.

The handle bars 68 and 70 are coupled to the tubular members to facilitate rotation of the tubular members. Preferably, at least the handle bar 68 passes through a bore in the tubular member 36 and is reciprocal within the bore so that when the member 36 is adjacent a surface, the handle bar can be moved to a position where the surface does not interfere with rotation thereof. As shown in FIGURE 3, knobs 69 are carried at the end of handle 68 to prevent removal of the handle from the bore it traverses.

With the form brace described hereinabove, a form can be speedily and accurately positioned. The base plate 16 is secured to a given surface by driving the stake 24 into that surface so that flange presses against the plate. Plate 48 is attached to the lower end or base of the form and plate 64 is attached to the upper end of the form by driving nails, or fastening screws, through the apertures in the plates and into the form cross-members. Then, the base of the form can be positioned by rotating the tubular member 36 -by means of handle 68 and the upper part of the form can be positioned by rotating tubular member 52 by means of handle bar 70. Thus, the position of the base of the form as well as the position of the upper part of the form can be adjusted. One man can easily perform the positioning operations.

As should be apparent from the foregoing discussion, the parts of the lbrace are coupled together in a manner whereby no essential parts can be lost. Moreover, the

brace provides adjustment of, and support for, the base of the form and eliminates the necessity of cutting and using wood stakes or the like for base support.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the tubular members 36 and 52 are at least partially hollow and carry a lubricant therein. This is illustrated in FIGURES, wherein it will -be noted that grease 80 is carried within the lower end of tubular member 52. Similarly, lubricant can be carried adjacent each coupling. This provides for self-lubrication of the threaded couplings and associated extensions so as to assure easy adjustment and extended trouble-free operation.

In the construction shown in FIGURE 3, arm 20, or more particularly extension 32 extending to the right thereof, is pivotally coupled between uprights 28 and 30 as opposed to being ixedly secured thereto as shown in FIGURE 1. Additionally, the plate 48 (FIGURE l) which serves as a means to couple the lower arm with the form, is replaced by a plate 49 which is pivotally coupled with extension 35 by means of a bolt 51 extending through the coupling flange 63 of plate 49 and extension rod 46. Thus, the lower arm 20 is of the same construction as upper arm 18, and the brace is rendered more Versatile so that it can be used to support, for example, a roof-type form as shown in FIGURE 4. Moreover, the brace of FIGURE 3 can be adapted to support a form disposed within a ditch by merely turning the brace upside down, and securing the base plate in inverted posi- Y tion to a surface adjacent the top of the ditch.

In many instances, it is desirable to have comparatively short arms on the lform brace, while in other instances, particularly long arms lare desirable. Accordingly, this invention provides means for releasably securing sections of an arm together. Preferably, the exterior surfaces of tubular members such as those designated by numerals 36 and 52 are threaded, and threaded coupling joints such as those designated by numeral are provided for securing the adjacent sections of the arms together. When the tubular members are so constructed, as shown in FIGURE 3, then additional threaded arm sections such as those designated by numeral 102 in FIGURES 4 and 5 can easily be inserted between the tubular end sections of the arms carrying the rod extensions. Of course, operation of the brace remains the same. Thus, the invention provides means for substantially changing the length of the arms of the brace whereby the brace can easily be used to support a shallow form such as that shown in FIGURE l, as well as a roof such as that shown in FIGURE 4 and designated by numeral 101,

In order to accommodate forms which require support at or near their ends and along intermediate portions thereof, the uprights 28 and 30 are replaced, according to a modification of the invention, by extended uprights such as that designated by numeral 106 and shown in FIGURE 6. Upright 106 carries a plurality of apertures therein, and serves with a cooperating upright of the same type, and cooperating bolts to pivotally support a plurality of armsv as shown in FIGURE 4. The construction of FIGURES 4 and 6 is essentially the same as that shown in FIGURE 3, but more versatile. The number of apertures provided in the modified upright 106 depends only upon the limit of number of arms one desires to use. Obviously, all apertures need not be used at the same time.

Although the uprights coupled -to base plate 16 have been described hereinabove as being vertically disposed with respect to the base plate, it should be apparent that they could be horizontally disposed. The brace shown on the right in FIGURE 4 incorporates a horizontally disposed upright construction wherein arms 152 extend from van upright 154 attached to base plate 156 and support various portions of a roof 101.

In the modified constructions presented in FIGURES 4 and 5, the arms are coupled with the base plate in the same manner ,aS `SllQWn in FIGURE 3, and each arm carries means, preferably in the form of an apertured plate, for coupling the arm with a form.

As should be apparent, the threaded coupling joints cooperate with the threads on separate sections of the arms to releasably secure the sections of an arm together and to provide for simultaneous rotation of all sections so that a brace with extended arms operates in -the same manner as the single-arm type brace shown in FIG- URE 1.

Although the preferred construction of components of the form braces provided by this invention have been discussed in the preceding paragraphs, it should be understood that various modifications other than those speciiically suggested can be incorporated without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, a U-bracket may be used in place of spaced uprights 28 and 30, and skirted caps having threaded bores can be substituted for the cylindrical bodies 72 forming the various couplings welded to the ends of the tubular members 36 and 52.

After reading the foregoing description of the invention, it should be apparent that the objects set forth at the beginning of this specification have been successfully achieved. Accordingly, I claim:

l. A single-unit adjustable brace for accurately positioning a form with respect to a given surface, said brace comprising a base plate having an upper face with a stake-receiving aperture in one end portion thereof; two spaced uprights attached to the other end portion of said upper face in spaced relation to said aperture and eX- tending at least substantially perpendicularly from said upper face; an arrn including an elongated tubular member carrying threaded couplings at either end thereof; a handle bar reciprocally mounted in and projecting laterally from said tubular member, and two rods, each rod having threads on at least one end thereof cooperating with one of the threaded couplings carried by said tubular member, the other end of one of said rods being secured between said uprights, the other end of the other of said rods carrying an apertured plate for securing said arm to said form; and a second arm above said rst mentioned arm including an elongated tubular member carrying threaded couplings at either end thereof, a handle bar reciprocally mounted in and projecting laterally from said second tubular member, and two rods, each last mentioned rods having threads on at least one end thereof cooperating with one of the threaded couplings carried by said second tubular member, the other end of one of said second mentioned rods being pivotally connected between said uprights in spaced relation to one of said first mentioned rods, the other end of the other of said second mentioned rods carrying an apertured plate pivotally coupled thereto for securing said second mentioned arm to a form, said rst and second tubular members being at least partially hollow and carrying a lubricant therein, said first and second arms extending forwardly of said base plate, said base plate having a length which is a fraction of the length of said arms,

2. A single-unit 4adjustable brace for accurately positioning a form as defined in claim 1 wherein said tubular members include a plurality of tubular sections, and means for releasably coupling said sections together.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,511,584 Hill June 13, 1950 2,725,210 Swartz Nov. 29, 1955 2,741,821 Findley Apr. 17, 1956 2,850,254 Houseworth Sept. 2, 1958 

